Cause, culture, communication and connection are the pillars for a thriving community.
The operator of an online community practically acts as a host in the community as he would at a party in real life. One of his tasks here is to connect the party guests, e.g., "You should meet Jenny - she also started her own business as a single mom a while back."
At a party, small groups then stand together, having found a commonality that connects them.
This is exactly where group chats come into play for me. Does it really make sense to outsource something like this, for example to Slack?
Group chats are one of the core elements to strengthen the connection in a community - between members who have a common cause.
So - what do you think?